Published: Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 9:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 9:58 p.m.

Although questions remain about its final shape, a broad immigration reform proposal that permits eventual U.S. citizenship would be welcomed by a large share of illegal immigrants in Marion County and elsewhere, advocates for immigrants say.

Some undocumented workers might resist taking that step, advocates add, wary they could not really trust the government to honor its pledge or being unwilling or unable to surmount the bureaucratic red tape.

Still, most of those folks would most likely seize the opportunity to keep families together, avoid the fear of deportation, or more fully join American society.

“They've been hiding in the shadows. They've been oppressed. They've been victimized. They feel their dignity has been taken away. So long as they know they can trust the system, this is something they've looked forward to,” said Osas Iyamu, an Ocala lawyer who specializes in immigration law.

Last Tuesday, President Barack Obama proposed a plan that allows the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. to seek citizenship, provided they take certain steps.

Those include passing national security and criminal background checks, paying their taxes and a penalty, taking a place in line behind those already seeking to enter the country legally and learning English before earning citizenship.

The president also intends to beef up border security, get tough with employers who hire illegal immigrants, including mandating their use of the E-verify system, and easing bureaucratic barriers for legal immigration.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, is leading the Senate counter to the president's plan, which was introduced the day before Obama's announcement.

Supported by seven other senators so far, including Arizona Republican John McCain, it encompasses many of the same principles as Obama's program but puts greater emphasis on securing borders before allowing illegal immigrants to earn green cards and improving the guest-worker initiative.

Conservatives were expected to bash Obama and his plan, since the president does little that they like. But some commentators and politicians on the right have also lashed out at Rubio, who heretofore has been a crowd-pleaser in conservative circles.

Ann Coulter, writing at the conservative website Human Events, labeled Rubio's push as simple amnesty for those here illegally and further dubbed it as “a wolf in wolf's clothing.”

Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative publication National Review, proclaimed Rubio's plan a “scam,” while columnist Pat Buchanan also wrote that it was amnesty and accused Rubio and the other Republicans of “waving their white flags” on the “greatest victory for mass lawbreaking in U.S. history.”

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., told talk radio host Laura Ingraham that Rubio was “amazingly naive” and “nuts” for his immigration proposal, adding that it was “the same old formula that we've dealt with before” — a reference to the 1986 federal law that gave millions of illegal immigrants amnesty in exchange for tougher border security that, many assert, never materialized.

Yet in Florida, which, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, is home to as many as 664,000 illegal immigrants, the third-highest total in the country behind California and Texas, some activists believe Obama and the senators are trying to fix a system that sorely needs repair — to the benefit of hard-working, family-oriented people who come to the U.S. for the same reason immigrants always have — a better life.

Much, the immigrant advocates say, depends on the details of the final plan.

But, at this juncture, they believe illegal immigrants would embrace a chance to move toward U.S. citizenship.

Susana Barciela, policy director for the Americans for Immigrant Justice, a nonprofit law firm in Miami, said history shows illegal immigrants would want that.

Because of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, she said, the 3 million illegal immigrants granted legal status at that time went on to get better jobs, make more money and pay more taxes.

More recently, Barciela noted, people flocked to Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative even though it did not contain a way to citizenship.

The program, open to children who were brought here illegally by their immigrant parents, was popular despite its $465 fee, requirement for fingerprints and pile of red tape, because it reduced the fear of deportation, she said.

The same would happen under the newest plan.

“Being in the U.S. legally is one of the biggest benefits anyone can get,” Barciela said. “They are always vulnerable to being deported, and I'm sure many will want to come forward because it will be a benefit to them and their families.”

Critics, however, have begun a counterattack on two fronts.

First, they claim it is unfair to those immigrants who have played by the existing rules and waited patiently for visas, sometimes for as long as 20 years. At best, illegal immigrants should be put at the end of that line.

Iyamu, the immigration lawyer from Ocala, argues that while such a notion seems fair on the surface, it only underscores how broken the current system is. And her hope is that aspect can be fixed simultaneously with the plan to bring the 11 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows.

A second criticism launched at the new proposal is that it would set off a rush of illegal immigration to America.

Advocates for immigrants do not believe that is the case. They trust that the border-security provisions will take hold and will build on existing measures.

Richard Logue, program director for Immigration and Refugee Services with the Orlando-based Catholic Charities of Central Florida, said immigrants almost universally would be motivated by the opportunity to have legal residence in the place where they have lived for many years.

But, he added, allowing those already here to stay would not increase undocumented migration.

Rather the “pull factor” would be diminished through an effective national employment verification system, he said.

“Reform is not just about the legalization of several million people,” Logue said.

“The root causes of migration have to be addressed as well. People come here to work; work that is not readily available to them in their home countries. Addressing the lack of development in sending countries also needs to be examined in order to seek long-term solutions so people will not feel the need to migrate.”

Moreover, some advocates do not believe there would be employer backlash by suddenly having to pay the related expenses.

Immigrants under a government-sanctioned reform would continue to be hired because of their work ethic. And in some cases employers are already paying costs, like withholding taxes, for benefits that illegal immigrants cannot claim because doing so would draw them into the open.

Allowing illegal immigrants to live and work with proper legal documentation would only expand the contribution they are already making, said Reina Mendez, the Ocala-area coordinator for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association in Immokalee, who deals with much of Marion County's illegal population.

“Employers will hire the right people with the right work ethic. It's not going to be a problem of who we hire and who we're not going to hire,” she said.

“People are in a lot of need for work. That's still going to continue. They just want a better life for their families.”

Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or bill.thompson@starbanner.com.

Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.